Genius
by WinnyHelium
Summary: Life was always more than normal for the Anistay family, until their only daughter goes missing, and they become desperate to find her. Her side, her story, and her interesting encounter all make for one interesting story. Rating may change, JokerxOC
1. Daddy dearest

Authors note: Hi everyone! This is my first-ever fanfic. I'm really excited about it. Anyway, if you don't like this format, have any comments or questions, feel free to tell me. If you like it, feel free to tell me, too. xD

Anyway, thanks for reading. :3

**----**

"Oh the Micro-Napper Strikes again!"

A chuckle emitted from the back of the bar, coming out of the wrinkled mouth of a man, his head down, bringing his glass to his lips, shaking his head.

"What a load of bologna. Everyone knows that it's just some kid who's looking for thrills and giggles. And the Micro-Napper? What kind of idiotic name is that?"

The man hung his head, chuckling a bit, holding his glass in both of his hands. He looked at the young woman and smirked.

"I used to have a daughter who talked like you. Had blonde curls, too. Would'a been about your age. What are you, eighteen?"

The blonde woman chuckled, "Caught me. Don't tell anyone?" She pushed one of her springy curls behind her ear, and took a sip out of her glass. "Where is she?" She asked.

The man's face dropped instantly. "She… uh… She went missing a few months ago..."

"Ah, geez, man. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to bring up ghosts from your past, I-"

"Nah. No problem. Guess it was her time to go. Never found her body, though. Tore her mother's heart out." The man shook his head.

"I, uh… I'd better go for the night." Replied the young woman, a nervous look flickering in her eyes. She reached in her pocket and gently set a few bills on the counter, and quickly shuffling out of the bar.

The bar was now eerily silent, and empty, save for the one man, a look of pain on his face, warm tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Piper, Piper… God, I miss you so much…"

-** A Year Earlier** -

"Daddy, lighten up. You need to stop taking your work so damn seriously." Said the small girl, slumped down, feet resting on the desk of the very aggravated looking man.

"_Princess,_ please let daddy work." He said, shaking his head. The girl pulled herself up into a sitting position and rested her elbows on the edge of the very expensive looking wooden desk.

"Work? That's all you care about now-a-days." She said, frowning slightly.

The man sighed.

"Piper, we're on the verge of catching one of the most elusive men in all of Gotham." He said, shaking his head.

"Why do you always shake your head when you're nervous? Besides, that Scarecrow guy isn't so scary. Bet I could take him," Piper held her fists up and chuckled.

Her father was not amused.

"Not the Scarecrow, princess. Someone more terrible." He replied. Piper frowned. "So like, he kills people? A lot of people?" She asked.

Her father nodded.

"And as deputy commissioner, it's my duty to do as best as I can to find this freak." He answered.

Piper sighed heavily. She leaned back down and scanned the mess of papers strewn around her father's desk. Something caught her eye.

Reaching over the other papers, she picked up the card and studied it.

"Baby, don't touch that, it's evidence!" Her father exclaimed, snatching the card from her hands. Piper rolled her eyes. "That's not evidence, daddy, that's just a playing card. A Joker, even. Nothing to get all worked up about."

Her father shook his head.

Piper smiled. "Well, when you're feeling up to facing your family, me and mom will be in the dining room. Eating. You should try it."


	2. You've got trouble, my friend

AN: I've tried adding more detail! Woohoo! X3  
Anyways, enjoy!

**---**

"…"

The girl sat in silence, her head slumped over her shoulder, and her eyes closed. Upon further investigation, one would note that her hair and face were caked with dried blood. The sticky substance also smeared her clothes and arms. She was just barely breathing, her chest moving up and down in a steady beat.

Suddenly an audible 'click,' was heard, and a blindingly bright light came on in a burst.

Wincing, the girl groaned, and leaned up, her neck cracking. She furrowed her eyebrows and squinted in the light.

"…the hell…?" She murmured under her breath, turning her head as if to keep the light out of her eyes. "Where am I?" She muttered, looking at the walls, now illuminated.

She was in a tiny room, the walls, floors, and ceiling made out of a grey material that resembled cement, or a plaster of some kind. It was also, she noted, horribly dirty. The whole room was spattered in different substances, which eerily resembled blood.

Craning her head back, she attempted to bring her head to her temples to rub them, as she had a splitting headache, but now realized her hands were tied. Very, very tightly. The ropes were digging into her wrists, rubbing them raw. The uncomfortable chair that she sat in was made out of wood, and her feet were also tied, disallowing her to move.

"Is anyone there!?" She called out. "Somebody help!"

Dropping her head, she sighed, but she quickly shot it back up when she heard an eerie laugh.

"Hello, Piper…" The voice said.

"Wha…Who are you? Where am I?" She demanded, shuffling her bound feet, a sharp pain running down her nose. "Ugh…!"

"You know, I didn't want to break that pretty little nose of yours, but really, it was your fault for struggling…" The man said, chuckling.

"You coward!" Piper spat. This caused the man to laugh even more.

He stepped into the light, revealing his burly appearance, crossed arms, and a bald head. Piper squinted. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"Oh, me?" The man laughed. "I'm just a man doing my job."

"You're working with that Joker freak, aren't you!?" Replied the distraught girl, every inch of her body now becoming more alert, and aching like hell.

"Oh, no. No no no." The man smirked. "No, I work for Ra's al Ghul." He said, scratching his head.

"You liar, he's dead!" Piper retorted.

The man's smile turned into a scowl. "No. He's not." And he turned and walked through the door, the light shutting off.

"Wait! Who are you!? Why am I here!?" Piper called after him, but the next thing she knew, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and then…

Darkness.

**---**

"Where's your father?" Meyline Anistay said, bringing a bowl of salad to the table, which already adorned many items of food.

"Office. He says he's just on the verge this time," Piper replied, chuckling and sitting down, taking a plate and filling it with food. She picked up a carrot stick studied it, and took a bite, crunching merrily.

"I swear, that man is going to be swallowed by his work." Her mother said, sighing.

"Well, y'know," Piper began, but she was cut off by her mother, who said, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Piper rolled her eyes, swallowed, and began again, "As I was saying, you guys could take a vacation. Get away from the city, leave me alone for a while…?" Piper chuckled, and her mother sighed.

"Well… don't tell anyone… but I've already got the tickets!" Her mom said, her face brightening instantly. Piper smiled. "Really? Quality time with you and pops? Whole house to me?" Piper's smile became even more wide.

Her mom cleared her throat and nodded. "Well… yeah, I suppose."

Piper jumped out of her seat, threw her fist into the air, and proudly exclaimed, "Yes!"

And this, my friend, is where all of her troubles began.


	3. Games of the Mind

**AN:** Edited to make a little more sense. :3 Enjoy!

**---**

The bright light turned on again.

Eyelids twitching, Piper's groggy eyes opened once again, blinking, and then looking around again.

"Persistent aren't you?"

Swallowing, Piper blinked again, and cleared her throat. "W…what?" She asked, her voice croaky.

"I said you were persistent. Not necessarily a bad thing in your case."

"Wait… who are you?" Piper asked, craning her neck, and with and audible 'pop' turning back to the light, where a figure came before it, blocking it out like an eclipse. The figure wasn't very large, no. The light just wasn't very big. Just bright.

"It is no matter who I am. Who are you, would be the better question."

Piper furrowed her brow in confusion at the man's words. "You obviously know who I am. Your little crony there knew my name."

A chuckle emitted from the man's lips. "I haven't known that guy for three days." He said, shaking his head and smiling.

"Then why am I here?" Piper asked, her voice getting colder by the second.

"You? Ransom, maybe. Maybe it was just coincidence that you were passing by. The deputy commissioner's daughter's fetch a hefty price these days." The man said, chuckling.

"I'm not here for money. Tell me the real reason." Piper said, ignoring the painful itch in her nose, which she now realized was patched up.

"Ahah. You really are persistent. I'd even go so far as to call you stubborn." Said the man, turning his head. Piper didn't reply.

"Alright, I'll tell you. Since you asked oh so nicely." He said, standing up and pushing his chair in with a croak. "You heard of this guy, right? Big action hero. Some sort of… superhero."

The man reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of paper, sliding it across the table. Piper looked down, and saw that there was a dark figure, dressed as some sort of bat. Something toggled in her mind. "The Batman. Who hasn't?" She asked. "But what does he have to do with me?" She asked.

"Since your daddy has so much influence on the city, I just assumed that Batboy'd come out of his little hiding spot and try to save you." He said.

"So?" Piper asked.

"Well, when he does try to save you, I'll get my little 'cronies,' and we'll tear his little head off." The man smiled.

Piper's eyes widened. "I'm… bait? You made me bait?" She asked.

The man shrugged and smirked. "That's how it would seem." He replied.

"Well." Piper said, sighing. "Nothing much I can really do about it, now is there?"

The man smiled. "That's a good girl." He said, leaning over and patting her cheek, sending a mind numbing pain through her head.

"Oh, and eat up. You'll need the strength." Said the man, turning and walking out the door. As soon as he was gone, another came in with a tray of cold food and cut her hands loose, quickly departing.

Piper blinked and gulped nervously.

----

"And don't leave the oven on, and if you smell smoke-"

"Yeah, I know. Get out immediately."

"Good girl. We'll be home next Monday. Please try not to destroy the house while we're gone."

"I promise, mom. No parties or boys or sex or drugs, or-"

"_That…_ is enough, Piper."

"See you in two weeks!" Piper said, smiling and shutting the door of the taxi, watching it drive away and waving after it.

After it was out of sighed, she sighed with relief. "Finally!" She exclaimed, walking into the house, and plopping down on the couch, turning the TV on and flicking through the channels. Finally settling on some 'Breaking News,' on Gotham 7, Piper leaned up and studied what was going on.

Some guy dressed up another guy in a Batman suit and decided to string him up and hang him from the mayor's building.

"This town is going to shit." She said, putting her feet up on the table and laying back down again. Oh well, she thought. Just so long as I'm not a part of it…

And yawining, the girl went to sleep. That was the first mistake she made.


	4. Mistakes

**AN: **Thanks to all the people who commented on my last stories. Your criticism helps a lot! :D Enjoy Chapter 4!

---

The door creaked open.

Piper's hand rested on her forehead, her eyes clenching shut at the sound of the man walking in and sitting down. They had relocated her to somewhere more 'comfortable,' a room with a very hard bed and a chair. At least it wasn't an interrogation room.

"How are you feeling today, Miss Anistay?" The man asked, taking a seat.

"As good as one in my position would, I guess." Replied Piper, arm dropping to her side so she was staring at the ceiling.

"That's good." Said the man, smirking a little.

"Not really, no." Piper replied, turning on her side, wincing in pain. The man smiled. "Do you know who I am?" He asked her, approaching the bed.

"No. Ra's al Ghul? Maroni? That fat guy who likes birds? Do tell." Piper said, sitting up and looking at her bare feet.

"All nice guesses. But no." The man said, sitting at the edge of the bed. "My name is Robert Senger." He said, turning toward her to reveal two sparkling blue eyes. He would have been handsome if he weren't so rugged, with stubble for a beard, black hair that covered his eyebrows, and a suit at least a size to small for him. It looked as if he had just put himself together.

"…" Piper studied him for a moment more. "Well, Robert, I would say it was nice to meet you, but that would be a lie." She said. Robert blinked.

"Well, that's alright, I guess. You don't have to like me. You just have to cooperate. We're moving tonight." He said.

Piper raised her brow. "Moving? Where?"

"To an abandoned warehouse, near Haysville. Won't take to long to get there, just thought I'd let you know." Robert said, adjusting his tie.

"You're pretty considerate for a captor." Piper said, not really meaning it.

"Oh hoh," Robert chuckled, wrinkled forming at the edges of his eyes, "I try."

And with that, he stood up, dusted of his suit, and walked out.

Piper lay back down and stared at the ceiling, wondering when the police would finally find out where she was. Or that Bat guy.

Either one.

---

Piper awoke with an audible crash that reverberated off of the walls of the stairwell and into the living room.

As her eyes shot open, she considered three things right off the bat. Robbers, murderers, or murdering robbers.

And then, after she'd calmed a bit, she realized it must have been her cat. Must have.

She hadn't heard someone come in, so that couldn't be the case. She lay back on the couch and turned her head, looking at the news coverage. She'd only been asleep for a few hours, at most, because they hadn't moved on to a different story yet. Still the same old thing. A murder gets big attention.

It made her rather sick. Reaching back to the back of her head, she grabbed the hair tie that was holding her mess of blonde curls out and ruffled out her hair.

Still half asleep, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking for a cup that was remotely clean, and then turning the tap on, running her finger through the stream of water a few times, and deciding that it was a drinkable temperature, she put her glass under it, and turned it off.

Taking a small sip, she slowly walked into the living room and sat on her couch, looking at the TV. They were only considering one person for the murder, as he had left his call card at the scene of the crime. The Joker.

"The Joker…?" Piper blinked, remembering the card her father was studying on his desk.

They were saying if anyone had any information to call the hotline at the bottom of the screen.

So, she stood up, and walked up to her father's office. She opened the drawers, lifted his mat, looked under the keyboard, until finally she found it tucked snugly inside a folder. She studied it for a moment, but was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard another loud crash.

Now very scared, Piper stumbled out of the chair and hid under her fathers desk.

Her second mistake.


	5. Escape

AN: Thanks for everyone's continued support. I'm really sorry I'm not uploading these chapters fast enough. I promise I'll get 'em up sooner! :3

-x-

**-three years ago-  
**

"Watch her think I'm not going to do it."

"You aren't going to do it."

"Watch her think I'm not going to do it, guys."

"He's not going to do it."

This bickering went on for a while. On the top of the clock tower, about ten teenagers had gathered around another. He was standing on the edge, looking down, a terrified look in his eyes. It was probably a given that they'd somehow broken into the tower, but none of them had the worry of being caught in their minds. It was something else they were worried about.

"She thinks I'm not going to do it."

"You aren't, Sal."

"I am."

"No."

Some of the other teens were crying, begging for something. Maybe for the boy, Sal his name was, to get away from the edge. Or for his girlfriend, the one who seemed firm that he wasn't going to jump, to stop testing him.

"Marls, just leave."

"No! You think I'm going to leave you to die up here!?" Marlena Jacobson said, clenching her fists and closing her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek. "Why are you DOING this, Sal!?" She exclaimed.

A few onlookers seemed to notice this scene, and one screamed. Minutes later, firefighters, ambulances, police cars, every emergency response vehicle in Gotham City were around the clock tower. And the few teenagers, begging Sal to step away from the edge, were sobbing and grabbing.

"Marlena…"

"What, Sal?" Marlena replied through a choked sob.

"I love you," He said.

But instead of stepping away from the edge, he stepped off. "SAL!" Marlena screamed, rushing to the edge and looking down just to see him hit the ground.

**-present-**

Being led out to an armored vehicle wasn't pleasant. Even more so when you were half asleep, half drugged. In a blindfold.

"Where are we going?" Piper asked, her speech slurred. "Best not to talk right now, Miss Anistay." She heard a voice say. "Robby? Hey man, no hard feelings. I didn't mean to call you an asshole. You're my besht… frien…d.." Piper slumped over. "It's imperative that you stay alert, Miss Anistay. Step up." So Piper stepped up onto the step and entered the vehicle. "Alright, you may sit." And she sat.

"Where we going again, Robby? Haysville? I never liked Haysville. Always dark and bleak. Can't we go downtown? I like downtown…" Piper trailed off and her head drooped. "Ah, Miss Anistay. If we went downtown then they'd find you. And you wouldn't want to leave your best friend, now would you?"

"Nah…" Piper giggled. "Good, because you won't be leaving for a while." Robert said, patting her on the back.

A while later, Piper began to wake from her dazed state of mind. Of course she did nothing to reveal that she was now alert (that would ruin her plan), but she did stop talking.

When the truck came to a halt, Piper giggled like she was drunk, and took off her blindfold. "That thing… itchy…" She giggled again. "Alright… I suppose that's okay." Robert said, raising his eyebrow. Piper looked around the dark vehicle, seeing the door that they came in on. The back of the truck. It was so close, and she didn't think it was locked. This was her chance.

"Hey, Robby, what's that?" Piper asked, pointing to the other side of the truck. "What's what?" He asked, turning to look. While he was looking away, Piper quickly jumped up and rammed herself against the door just as the truck began to move. Rolling out, she ran as fast as she could.

She could vaguely hear screams and footsteps behind her, but she blocked those sounds out. She had to get away.

Turning into one of the many dark alleys of Haysville. Running to the end, she hopped over the wire fence and then raced into a door in the alley.

She looked hardly presentable, in her pajama shorts and a white wife-beater, but she didn't care. She also didn't care about the black-haired woman sitting at the kitchen table looking at a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. "Who are you…?"

"Please… I… they're following me… I can't… Hide me, please!" Piper pleaded. The woman looked skeptical at first, but then nodded and rushed Piper up the stairs of the tiny building just as there was a banging at the door.

"No… sir, I haven't seen anyone go by. …Of course not, why would I? That's insane. I'll have you know I own this apartment building. Why yes. I do. No you may not see it."

Piper leaned against the landing and listened. She couldn't make out what Robert was saying, but she could hear the woman clearly.

"Now listen, you. My name is Marlena Wembly. Look it up. And I don't care that your 'daughter' ran away, it's very late, and I have to get to bed."

Marlena Wembly. That name sounded familiar. Piper furrowed her eyebrows and thought for a moment, and then she realized it was the name of the girl they thought had pushed her boyfriend off of the clock tower some years ago. Piper never thought she did it, and neither did the jury at her trial.

"Goodbye, sir." Piper heard the woman say, and after that, the door slamming. Then she heard footsteps. "Oh… you poor thing. You must stay here tonight, I insist."

Too tired to argue, Piper nodded and yawned, feeling herself be helped up and into a room, and onto a bed, where she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


End file.
